Sep 24 Heavenly Sandpaper

Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together.

— Ephesians 4:2-3 The Voice

Heavenly sandpaper is how I refer to those people in my life that push into my core values. The people that God places in my path to teach me more patience, acceptance, compassion, grace and a million other things.

These precious people are the ones I can’t necessarily walk away from or build big walls around. They are right in the middle of my world, challenging me to lean into what’s uncomfortable. They invade my own standards of how I want to interact. When it comes down to it, they teach me to love more like Jesus. Sometimes these precious souls stick around for a season and other times, they are with me for a lifetime.

God uses these heavenly sandpapers to rub out my rough edges. It took me a long time to understand that this was for my benefit. I have learned that these people are a gift.

Are you thinking of some heavenly sandpaper in your life? I want to encourage you to sit with God for a minute and talk to Him about it. Ask Him what He wants to teach you through that person. You can begin by pushing yourself into the uncomfortable feelings, the frustrations, the challenges that your heavenly sandpaper brings into your life. You will start to see the heart of your heavenly sandpaper when you allow the Holy Spirit to invade your relationship.

What I have discovered is they need extra doses of grace. You have the opportunity to step in to flood them with love right now. Let them smooth you out and in return, you will be giving them a precious gift of love.